1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for making composites and, particularly, to a method for making a carbon nanotube composite.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are novel carbonaceous materials and have received a great deal of interest since the early 1990s. Carbon nanotubes have interesting and potentially useful heat conductive, electrical, and mechanical properties. Due to these and other properties, it becomes an important application direction for CNTs to be used as fillers in composite materials.
A conventional method for making a carbon nanotube composite includes the following steps of: (a) functionalizing the carbon nanotubes; (b) dispersing the functionalized carbon nanotubes into a thermoplastic polymer solution to obtain a mixture; (c) spraying or dipping the mixture on a substrate to form a layer; and (d) volatilizing the solvent in the layer to achieve a carbon nanotube composite.
However, some drawbacks arise from the conventional method for making carbon nanotube composite. Firstly, it is difficult to uniformly disperse the carbon nanotubes into thermoplastic polymer solution. Secondly, the process of functionalizing the carbon nanotubes will damage the integrality of the carbon nanotubes. Thirdly, the carbon nanotubes distribute in the polymer disorderly.
What is needed, therefore, is a method for making carbon nanotube composite that can orderly distribute the carbon nanotubes into the polymer matrix.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate at least one embodiment of the method for making the carbon nanotube composite, in at least one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.